So, yesterday. I did this sort of interval thing doing 400’s at 6:40/mile pace as then recovery at 9:20 pace. I did 4 repeats and it really isn’t worth talking about. I did have a great strength workout after that, though.

Today’s run was a 5 mile easy run outside. I’ve been reading Jack Daniels’ running formula. I’m only about halfway through, but the book establishes various types of workouts at paces based on a recent running performance. Based on my last 5K time, my “easy” pace is 9:27 minutes per mile.

So, I set out for 5 at that pace, trying to pay attention to my cadence. The pace felt horribly slow at first. I managed to count my steps at 160 per minute. Elite runners average about 180 steps per minute. I measured my steps about 4 or 5 times during the run and was surprisingly consistent at 160. I figured that wasn’t such a bad place to start at. I did find it a little difficult to slow myself down my shortening my stride rather than slowing my cadence.

In any case, it was 80 degrees when I woke up at 7:00 am. It was probably close to 85 by the time I got out the door. It was hotter than a mother f*cker on the 4th of July. That made the last mile pretty tough, but I managed a 9:25 average pace overall, which was pretty close to my ideal “easy pace”…though the last mile didn’t feel as easy as I would have liked.

Actual workout

8 minutes warmup

5 miles at 9:25 pace

15 minutes cool down